The purpose of this study was to propose the appropriate sizes and dish combination for nutritional-balanced lunch boxes delivered to children under the government-funded meal service program in Korea. The study was based on the 3 : 1 : 2 Meal Box Magic, a nutrition education method developed in Japan. A total of 290 lunch menus, comprising of 10 day menus from 29 organizations having delivered lunch boxes to children during summer vacation of 2008, were analyzed and used as the base data for lunch box combination. Dishes of the menus were classified into 6 groups: Rice group, Protein side dish group (including meat, fish, egg, and bean dishes), Vegetable side dish group, Kimchi group (including kimchi and jangajji), Soup, stew group, and the other group. Nutrient analysis was conducted for 100 ml of these dishes by CAN Pro 3.0 utilizing volume and weight conversion data used for analysis of the Korea Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and those from the Nutrient Composition of Food for Consumers. All the possible combinations of 5 dishes, comprising of 3 dishes from Rice group, Protein side dish group, and Kimchi group, respectively, and 2 dishes from Vegetable side dish group, were made using the frequently served dishes from the respective dish group. Nutrient analysis of each combination was conducted based on the assumption that a lunch box was 600 ml and filled up to 80% by dishes using the volume ratio of 3 : 1 : 1.5 : 0.5 for Rice group : Protein side dish group : Vegetable side dish group : Kimchi group. The mean and standard deviation of energy and nutrients of all combinations calculated by weighting the serving frequency of each dish selected for the combinations were 621 +/- 81 kcal for Energy, 22.1 +/- 5.0 g for Protein, 120 +/- 45 mg for Calcium, 4.1 +/- 1.1 mg for Iron, 201 +/- 130microgram RE for Vitamin A, 0.34 +/- 0.10 mg for Thiamin, 0.27 +/- 0.10 mg for Riboflavin, and 24.3 +/- 9.6 mg for Vitamin C. The energy percentages from Carbohydrate, Protein and Fat were 66%, 14% and 20%. The analysis results met the nutrition standard of lunch boxes for male elementary students in grades 4 through 6 under the government-funded meal service program regarding calories, nutrients except calcium and riboflavin, and macronutrient distribution ranges. Accordingly appropriate box sizes were suggested for different age and sex groups to meet the respective nutrition standards. In addition, milk or dairy products were suggested to accompany lunch boxes to supplement calcium and riboflavin intake. The method of selecting box sizes and making dish combination suggested in this study could be useful for the organizations preparing lunch boxes under the government-funded children's meal service program where nutrition professionals are not available.
Ascorbic Acid ; Calcium ; Child ; Dairy Products ; Humans ; Iron ; Japan ; Korea ; Lunch ; Magic ; Male ; Meals ; Meat ; Milk ; Ovum ; Riboflavin ; Vegetables ; Vitamin A

OBJECTIVES: This study was conducted to investigate Chinese female marriage immigrants' dietary life after immigration to Korea, focusing on comparison between Han-Chinese (traditional Chinese) and Korean-Chinese (Chinese of Korean descent). METHODS: An in-person survey was conducted with women married to Korean men, having one child or more aged 1-6 years old, and having resided in Korea for at least one year before the survey. The data were collected from the 309 respondents comprising 151 Han-Chinese and 158 Korean-Chinese in the summer of 2013. RESULTS: Overall, there was no significant difference in dietary practice, dietary acculturation, dietary behavior, dietary habits, and food intake between the Han-Chinese and the Korean-Chinese respondents. Over 50% of the respondents ate Korean food every day. The overall level of dietary acculturation was about 3.5 out of 5 points. The average score of healthy dietary behavior was a little bit higher than 3 out of 5 points. Approximately 3/4 of the respondents showed increasing frequency of eating out. The respondents reporting increase food diversity were over 70%. Decreased frequency of skipping meal was about 60% of the respondents. Over 50% of the respondents showed increasing consumption of Kimchi, vegetables, fruit, and meat. CONCLUSIONS: Dietary life of Korean-Chinese female marriage immigrants was similar to that of Han-Chinese female marriage immigrants after immigration to Korea. The results from this study suggest that not only Han-Chinese but also Korean-Chinese should be targeted in various diet-related acculturation support programs as important multicultural populations in Korea.
Acculturation ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group* ; Child ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Eating ; Emigrants and Immigrants ; Emigration and Immigration* ; Female ; Food Habits ; Fruit ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Marriage* ; Meals ; Meat ; Vegetables

  Specific activities of the working group include reviewing the assessment score sheet of all falls and the preventive measures by degree of risk, making staff education, training, monitoring the implementation of the safety and preventive recommendations for prevention of falls.
  The data of all inpatient falls which occurred during one year prior to and one year subsequent to the WG intervention were analyzed.
  The incidence of inpatient secondary falls, decreased from 155 to 108 , and reports of level III severe falls, showed a reduction from five cases to three. Statistically, the total percentage of secondary falls incidence decreased from 2.19‰ to 1.54‰.
  We therefore concluded that through the activities of the WG, the strengthening of the in-house system to prevent secondary falls, staff education, training, and heightened staff safety awareness have led to a decrease in the total number of primary and secondary inpatient falls.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to design optimized food intake patterns that meet the nutritional recommendations with minimal changes from the current food intake patterns among Korean adults using linear programming. METHODS: Data of a one day 24-hour dietary recall from the 2010~2014 Korea National Health and Nutrition Survey were used to quantify the food items that Korean adults usually consumed. These food items were categorized into seven groups and 24 subgroups. The mean intakes and intake distributions of the food groups and the food subgroups were calculated for eight age (19~29, 30~49, 50~64, and over 65 years old) and gender (male and female) groups. A linear programming model was constructed to minimize the difference between the optimized and mean intakes of the food subgroups while meeting the Dietary Reference Intakes for Koreans (KDRIs) for energy and 13 nutrients, and not exceeding the typical quantities of each food subgroup consumed by the respective age and gender groups. RESULTS: The optimized food intake patterns, which were a set of quantities of 24 food subgroups, were obtained mathematically for eight age and gender groups. Overall, major modifications of current diet were required to increase the intake of vegetables and milk/dairy products and decrease the Kimchi intake. The optimized intake of seasonings, including salt, was calculated to be 0 g for all the age and gender groups. CONCLUSION: The optimized food intake patterns designed using linear programming in this study lack feasibility because they suggest a seasoning consumption of 0 g. Modification of intake goal for sodium is needed to obtain optimized food intake patterns with improved feasibility.
Adult ; Diet ; Eating ; Humans ; Korea ; Nutrition Surveys ; Nutritional Requirements ; Programming, Linear ; Recommended Dietary Allowances ; Seasons ; Sodium ; Vegetables

PURPOSE: This study examined dietary and health characteristics of the young-old and the old-old by food security status. METHODS: The study used data from the 6th (2013 ~ 2015) Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The study subjects consisted of 3,948 subjects, of whom 2,445 were the young-old (aged 65 to 74 years) and 1,503 were the old-old (aged 75 years and over). Food security status was evaluated using an 18-item questionnaire. Energy intake, nutrient densities, and prevalence of insufficient nutrient intake were assessed. Food intake was evaluated in terms of the number of food group servings. Dietary behaviors and health status were also assessed. RESULTS: The prevalence of food insecurity among the young-old and the old-old was 10.0% and 11.6%, respectively. Among the young-old, the food insecure group had a significantly higher level of prevalence of insufficient intake for all the nutrients (protein, vitamin A, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin C, calcium, phosphorous, and iron) assessed in this study compared with the food secure group. In case of the old-old, significant differences were found only for four nutrients (protein, riboflavin, niacin, and phosphorus) in the prevalence of insufficient nutrient intake between the food secure and the food insecure groups. Kinds of food groups with significantly different numbers of servings by food security status were dissimilar between the two age groups. In both the age groups, the food insecure group consumed a significantly lower number of servings in meat·fish·eggs·legumes and fruits than the food secure group; grains and vegetables intake in the young-old and oils·sweets intake in the old-old differed in the number of servings by food security status. Among the young-old, the prevalence of chewing difficulties in the food insecure group was significantly higher than that of the food secure group, while among the old-old, no significant differences were found by food security status. CONCLUSION: Dietary and health characteristics of the young-old and the old-old differed by food security status. Such differences were more apparent in the young-old than the old-old. Therefore, it is suggested that food and nutrition assistant programs should be designed with consideration of the differences.
Ascorbic Acid ; Calcium ; Diet ; Eating ; Energy Intake ; Food Supply ; Fruit ; Humans ; Korea ; Mastication ; Niacin ; Nutrition Surveys ; Prevalence ; Riboflavin ; Vegetables ; Vitamin A

Objectives: This study examined the dietary characteristics and needs for community kitchens among young adults of single-person households in Seoul according to the cooking attitude. Methods: During April 2018, an online survey was conducted on young adults of singleperson households in their 20s and 30s residing in Seoul. The respondents were classified into the more positive cooking attitude group (More Positive Group; n=152, mean=4.11) and the less positive cooking attitude group (Less Positive Group; n=190, mean=3.03) based on the mean score (3.51) of the 4-item 5-point Likert scales measuring the cooking attitude. The responses of the two groups were compared. Results: Approximately 90% of the More Positive Group had the cooking ability to prepare ordinary meals or more advanced cooking skills, whereas only 61% of the Less Positive Group had such skills. Approximately a half of the More Positive Group cooked at home three times a week or more; only 30% of the Less Positive Group did so, and more than 30% of the group seldom cooked. The More Positive Group had higher mean scores in the levels of satisfaction with dietary life and care for food safety and nutrition than the Less Positive Group. Approximately 30% of all the respondents expressed their needs for community kitchens. The most frequently answered reason for such needs was “being able to have a meal with others”. Conclusions The young adults of single-person households with a more positive cooking attitude possessed a higher cooking ability, cooked more often, and cared more about food safety and nutrition than those with a less positive cooking attitude. There were moderate needs for community kitchens among young adults of single-person households living in Seoul. Therefore, societal efforts to improve their cooking attitude would be meaningful for improving their quality of dietary life. Cooking lessons or social dining programs based on community kitchens could be an option.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: This study aimed at evaluating the dietary intakes of Korean adolescents affected by food insecurity, in comparison with those who were food secure. SUBJECTS/METHODS: The study used one day 24-hour dietary recall data from the 6(th) Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The study subjects consisted of 1,453 adolescents of whom 695 were middle school-aged and 758 were high school-aged. Food security status was assessed using the 18-item questionnaire. Nutrient intake was evaluated in terms of nutrient density, insufficient intake, and excessive intake for selected nutrients, in addition to meeting the appropriate range for total energy intake and energy intakes from carbohydrate, sugar, protein, fat, and saturated fatty acids. Food intake was evaluated in terms of food group servings and dietary diversity score (DDS). RESULTS: The percentages of food insecurity were 11.1% for middle school-aged adolescents and 16.8% for high school-aged adolescents. Food insecure middle school-aged adolescents had higher intake of carbohydrate (P = 0.006) but lower intake of fat (P = 0.010) and saturated fatty acids (P = 0.005) than their food secure counterparts although the intake of both groups was in the recommended ranges. Nutrient intake among high school-aged adolescents was generally similar regardless of food security status. Both food secure and insecure adolescents showed insufficient intake of vitamin A, vitamin C, and calcium, and excessive sodium intake. They additionally had low prevalence of meeting appropriate intake ranges for energy, carbohydrate, and sugar. Food intake in terms of food group servings and DDS was also similar regardless of food security status among both age groups, with low intakes of foods from fruit and dairy groups. CONCLUSIONS: Except for a few nutrients among the middle school-aged adolescents, dietary intakes among Korean adolescents did not differ by food security status in this study.
Adolescent* ; Ascorbic Acid ; Calcium ; Diet ; Eating ; Energy Intake ; Family Characteristics* ; Fatty Acids ; Food Supply ; Fruit ; Humans ; Korea* ; Nutrition Policy ; Nutrition Surveys* ; Prevalence ; Sodium ; Vitamin A

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effect of a worksite-based dietary intervention program for the management of metabolic syndrome (MS) among male employees. METHODS: A dietary intervention program combining individual and environmental approach was implemented targeting white-collar employees at a worksite located in Seoul for 10 weeks. Out of 104 employees having agreed to participate in the program, those having three or more out of five components of MS and having two components, including a waist circumference component were classified into "the high risk group" (n=41) and received group nutrition education and individual nutrition counseling three times each. The rest of the study subjects were considered as "the low risk group" (n=63). The food environment at the worksite, where both the high and low risk groups were exposed, was changed to promote healthy eating. Physical data including MS components were collected and a questionnaire on dietary behaviors was administered before and after the intervention. The data from the high risk group (n=17) and the low risk group (n=20), excluding the subjects ineligible for or failed to complete the study (n=67), were analyzed. The difference before and after intervention was tested for significance by Wilcoxon signed-rank tests. RESULTS: Weight, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, blood pressure, HDL-cholesterol, and HbA1c and the healthy dietary practice score improved significantly after intervention in the high risk group. The median number of MS components decreased significantly from 3.0 to 1.0 in the high risk group. In the low risk group, only HbA1c significantly decreased. Conclusions: The 10-week worksite-based dietary intervention program combining individual and environmental approach was found to be effective for managing MS of male employees. CONCLUSIONS: The 10-week worksite-based dietary intervention program combining individual and environmental approach was found to be effective for managing MS of male employees.
Blood Pressure ; Body Weight ; Counseling ; Eating ; Education ; Humans ; Male ; Seoul ; Waist Circumference ; Workplace

PURPOSE: The Dietary Reference Intakes for Koreans (KDRIs) suggest that the goal for the intake of sodium should be less than 2,000 mg, which is thought to be infeasible to achieve when eating the typical Korean diet. This study aimed to obtain the new intake goals for sodium with improved feasibility to achieve, and also to design optimized food intake patterns for Korean adults by performing linear programming. METHODS: The data from a one day 24-hour dietary recall of the 2010 ~ 2014 Korea National Health and Nutrition Survey were used to quantify food items that Korean adults usually consumed. These food items were categorized into seven groups and 24 subgroups. The mean intakes and intake distributions of the food groups and the food subgroups were calculated for eight age (19 ~ 29, 30 ~ 49, 50 ~ 64, and over 65 years old) and gender (male and female) groups. A linear programming model was constructed to minimize the difference between the optimized intakes and the mean intakes of the food subgroups while meeting KDRIs for energy and 13 nutrients, and not exceeding the typical quantities of each of the food subgroups consumed by the respective age and gender groups. As an initial solution of the linear programming, the optimized intake of seasonings, including salt, was calculated as 0 g for all the age and gender groups when the sodium constraint was inserted not to exceed 2,000 mg. Therefore, the sodium constraint was progressively increased by 100 mg until the optimized intake of seasoning was obtained as the values closest to the 25(th) percentile of the intake distribution of seasonings for the respective age and gender groups. RESULTS: The optimized food intake patterns were mathematically obtained by performing linear programming when the sodium constraint values were 3,600 mg, 4,500 mg, 4,200 mg, 3,400 mg, 2,800 mg, 3,100 mg, 3,100 mg, and 2,500 mg for the eight age and gender groups. CONCLUSION: The optimized food intake patterns for Korean adults were designed by performing linear programming after increasing the sodium constraint values from 2,000 mg to 2500 ~ 4,500 mg according to the age and gender groups. The resulting patterns suggest that current diets should be modified to increase the intake of vegetables for all the groups, milk/dairy products for the female groups, and fruits for the female groups except for the females aged 50 ~ 64 years.
Adult ; Diet ; Eating ; Female ; Fruit ; Humans ; Korea ; Nutrition Surveys ; Nutritional Requirements ; Programming, Linear ; Recommended Dietary Allowances ; Seasons ; Sodium ; Vegetables